One of the most shocking announcements during the recently concluded The Game Awards was Ark 2 featuring Vin Diesel which is now confirmed to be releasing on the Xbox Series X|S as a console exclusive next year.
Xbox will be the first to inform players that Studio Wildcard’s upcoming survival game has a long-running history on its platform. The classic game was one of the pioneers of the Game Preview project in 2015, making the way for a full release a couple of years later. Ark Survival Evolved was also one of the first games to take advantage of both Xbox Series X and Xbox One X optimizations, giving experiences on par with the PC for players on the console.
Widely considered to be the most successful of the various survival titles that came out a few years ago, Ark is frequently among the most played titles across console platforms and Steam. Currently, the original Ark Survival Evolved is still available on the Xbox Game Pass along with the Extinction, Aberration, and Scorched Earth DLC expansion packs. The game is playable this way across PC and console as well as the Xbox Game Streaming for the subscribers of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
As announced on Xbox Wire, the sequel will also have active ties to Xbox, launching as a console exclusive on both the Xbox Series X|S. The game, which received its first cinematic trailer during last week’s The Game Awards, is currently set for a 2022 release. Studio Wildcard pledges that fans who will try out their survival sandbox will experience the “dramatic eons-spanning story of humankind’s evolution” throughout the series.
Hollywood actor Vin Diesel will take on the role of Santiago, a major character in the game’s story. He will also be acting as the game’s executive producer, bringing his video game development talents to the test.
Vin Diesel is said to have played over a thousand hours of the classic game and that he has also had experience in past games featuring his appearance in Fast and Furious: Crossroads and The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay.
All of those projects were co-developed by Tigon Studios – a development studio established by Vin Diesel as a subsidiary of his movie studio One Race Films. There is no confirmation if this studio will also be working on Ark 2.
